New Year, Same Me

I Like Myself

I didn’t watch the entire Oprah interview with Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson, but I did see a clip where Oprah asks her, “what’s a question every woman should ask herself?”

Quinta answered, “Do I like myself? Do I really like myself when I’m in a room by myself?”

I love Quinta’s answer. It’s a question that I might have hesitated to ask myself some time ago. I didn’t always like myself. Back when I was closeted, when I was afraid to listen to my heart, when I was caught up in people-pleasing and alcohol abuse, I wouldn’t have dared to ask that question.

Now, the question: “Do I really like myself?” is a testament to how far I’ve come. From accepting myself for who I am and following my heart professionally and personally to revising my relationship with alcohol and seeking therapy to begin my journey of emotional healing, I’ve reconnected with the me that I have always been—the me that loves to learn, that makes mistakes, that laughs and cries, that geeks out and digs in. The me that leads with love. When I’m alone at home, in a hot bath, listening to jams and writing in my office, or taking a walk through a park, I can say, with confidence, that I really like myself.

It feels so good to say that: “I like myself.”

As I enter a new year, I think about what it means to be the best version of myself, what needs to be revisited and revised, what I may need to do more of (sleep, read), or what I need to cut back on (chips, screen time), and I know that there will always be things to improve and adjust as life asserts itself, as new conditions and new challenges come to light. But I know that what I do comes out of who I am, and when I can really like who I am, I can feel proud and feel excited about the things I do.

So for 2023, I embrace a new year as myself, the same me I’ve always been, the me that I may have hidden and mistreated at one time but the me that continues to learn and continues to love no matter what.

Happy New Year!

Fewer Classes in February and March!

I’m in the midst of two big writing projects, so I’m teaching fewer classes this year. I have quite a few readings and appearances happening, but the classes are few and far between in 2023. Mark your calendars and register as soon as possible for a chance to work with me in February and March.

Essay Structure and Submission Classes with The Porch

Shake It Up, Shape It Up: Exploring and Exploding Essay Structure

Let’s explore the spirals, braids, reflections, and segments that inform the myriad of ways to structure our personal essays. In this three-session workshop, we will diagram essay shapes used by notable writers and discover ways to expand and explode shapes to fit our own narratives. All three sessions include interactive readings, in-session writing activities, workshop opportunities to inform and (re)energize our memoir and personal essay drafts.

February 2, 9, and 16th, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CST/7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST || REGISTER HERE

Write, Submit, Repeat

This one-day interactive workshop offers insights and strategies for researching publications and contests that best fit your work and experience, organizing submission calls and drafts, and designing a personal submissions process that keeps you excited and engaged through acceptances and rejections. Writers are encouraged to participate in submission-related research and organization activities in real time, as well as share their experiences and best practices through group discussions.

March 4th, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. CST/2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST || REGISTER HERE

It’s Closing Time: Opening and Closing Chapters

How do we get readers to keep turning the page? How do we create the momentum that keeps readers saying, “one more chapter” even though it’s 2 a.m. and they need to get some sleep? How do we structure our chapters in ways that serve the overall dramatic tension of the novel? In this interactive writing webinar, we will explore how chapters work and their function in longform storytelling. In examining the way chapters open and close, we will develop strategies for creating and sustaining compelling plot movement in our work.

March 2nd, 7:15 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. EST || REGISTER HERE

Sexy Fiction for a Good Cause

Have you read “A Story About Hot Sauce?” It’s a sexy lil’ short story I wrote for the Current Anthology to raise money for two extraordinary organizations in Jackson, Mississippi.

All sales from Current are donated to the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund and Cooperative Jackson.

Contributing authors include Tasha L. Harrison, Katrina Jackson, Tia Love, and more!

Support the anthology HERE